


and when the sun comes, try not to hate the light

by horsetrackhiggs



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Enemies to Lovers, Human/Vampire Relationship, M/M, More characters to come, Twin AU, Vampire Hunters, Vampires, all other characters and ships are bg, god i do not know how to tag shit ever please bare with me, vampre ashe and vampire hunter felix, yall know how it be hjfdkghjfdghjkd
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2019-11-23
Packaged: 2021-01-16 22:03:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21278447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/horsetrackhiggs/pseuds/horsetrackhiggs
Summary: There was no time for Felix to identify the emotion bubbling up in his stomach unpleasantly, for the silver haired stranger’s chest was suddenly pressed to the taller man’s back, easily taking possession of the stake. An intoxicating laugh came from behind him, followed by a hot breath on his neck as the vampire spoke, tone somehow both threatening and charming at the same time.“Don’t let me catch you here again.”Then the bastard is gone, and Felix’s knees are giving out for more than one reason.





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

  * For [whizzerloses](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whizzerloses/gifts).

> title from 'damn these vampires' by the mountain goats
> 
> for my sweet darling friend lauren!!!

The decision to become a vampire hunter was an easy one for Felix; he had a lot of pent up anger and no outlet for it, so when he saw the recruitment ad he jumped at it. This sort of violence was praised in the community, so no one batted an eyelash at the permanent stains of blood tainting his boots. 

Fear was a funny thing-- it really twisted people’s morals in a disgusting way. Growing up, Felix couldn’t remember any large scale issues with the vampire population; sure, every once and awhile there would be a report of a sighting, perhaps even with a human corpse blurred out on screen as the broadcasters spat harsh words about their kind. But it’s not like there was any sort of war going on between the communities; there hadn’t been one for a long, long time and the night dwellers were nearly wiped out as a result. The lesson was learned and the world kept turning.

When Felix came across this ad, he was thrown off, to be honest-- there hadn’t been even the slightest rise in vampire related crimes, so a desperate plead for bodies seemed out of the blue. Maybe it was just someone trying to start shit, to incite some mass panic in the area for whatever reason. Or maybe it was just someone with a vengeance, much like Felix was.

As much as the dark haired man didn’t want to admit it, joining such a team was far more personal than he’d let on. Back when he was nothing more than a boy, he had lost the most important figure in his life to one of those creatures. 

Glenn was everything someone would want in a brother-- or son or husband or friend --he was upstanding like no other. He was brave and tenacious but the farthest thing from cruel. His generosity knew no bounds, always going out of his way to help anyone who needed a hand. The older man always made time for his younger brother; teaching him all he could and acting as a parental figure while also saving a goofy side that was for Felix only-- it always made him feel special, how easily Glenn was able to express his love for his sibling. Felix adored him; glued to his side as soon as he was old enough to walk and looked at him as if he hung the stars in the sky himself. 

But he was gone now, and Felix never recovered. 

News of his brother’s death was passed onto him as soon as Felix arrived home from school that day. It had happened the night before. Glenn’s body was face down in the dirt of the forest just outside of town. He would often take walks when only the light of the moon was around to illuminate his path-- he said the air was most refreshing at that time, and the sounds of nature were the sweetest song to him. 

There was a wooden stake rammed into his chest just where his heart would be. 

Apparently, while Glenn was strolling along his usual route, he came across a pair struggling. One figure seemed to be that of a grown man, while the other was that of a young girl’s. Being the good person he was, of course, he raced over, attempting to shield the girl. And in a blind rage, the man killed Glenn. Killed him after assuming he was one of those wretched fanged things-- just like the girl. But even when made aware, Glenn’s resolve didn’t waver. 

The vampire made an escape and the man was jailed for the murder of Felix’s brother. 

If only Glenn wasn’t so damn...Glenn.

Felix wanted to hate him for it. And he had done a pretty good job at convincing himself that he loathed his brother ever since. He knew that if the other was watching him from wherever his rotten ghost ended up, he wouldn’t be proud of the man Felix turned into; actively choosing to turn out the opposite as Glenn. 

What was the point of being so fucking selfless, even?

Nothing good came from being gone.

So Felix became bitter after that; misdirecting his loathing at both his brother and every single one of those creatures. He couldn’t make the man he once looked up to suffer by his hand, so any vampire that crossed his path would have to do. It’s not like they were anything more than some pathetic beings that the Goddess abandoned-- he didn’t feel any guilt each time he struck one down, no matter how human their faces look; they didn’t deserve to be treated with humanity, he’d tell himself each night before setting off.

Felix was skilled at lying to himself. 

Maybe he was just trying to guarantee his spot in hell. 

Something about tonight...felt off. He had separated from the rest of the group after getting irritated by their idle chatter; he’s never had trouble taking those creatures out on his own, it was like second nature to him.

It almost felt too quiet tonight. No wind, no rustling of animals searching for food. The vampire hunter felt unsettled, hand gripping on a stake a bit tighter than usual. And then he heard a noise, followed muttering between a pair. 

Felix was quick to make his way towards the source, his heart rate spiking up from the adrenaline; he was hungry, so hungry for the thrill that never got old. It was easy to lock onto his target-- there were two, both rather small and the dark haired man felt it in his gut that they were some of those vile things.

But what feels like for the first time, Felix was noticed before the chunk of wood was plunged into a heart. The silver haired vampire had somehow gotten behind Felix, forcing him to the ground with a thud.

“Cyril-- go get back to Marianne and help her get everyone else home.” The man pressing his knee harshly into Felix’s back yelled out, his voice cracking ever so slightly in panic. The smaller vampire only gave him a quick nod before scurrying off, leaving behind a bloodied raccoon.

The remaining vampire shoved Felix to the side as they parted, and the dark haired man hissed as his back slammed into a nearby tree. 

“Sorry!” The culprit squeaked out, holding himself back from running to the stranger’s side to make sure he was alright. 

Felix forced himself off the ground with a grunt, eyes taking a moment to focus on the small vampire. The other’s hair was tousled almost charmingly, and his eyes were wide-- Felix wasn’t sure what their color was, and for a moment he found himself yearning to know the answer. His face was coated in a sea of freckles that stood out on his pale skin that seemed so smooth in the moonlight-- another thought he had to throw out of his stupid head. If not for the prominent fangs hanging over his lips, Felix might have allowed himself to describe the other as beautiful. 

Bile began to creep its way up Felix’s throat-- what the fuck was wrong with him? The red that plagued his vision had turned more rose-colored, and the implications of that made it feel like his own body was attempting to exile his soul from it. If he were a weaker man, he might have turned the sharped wood on himself.

To make up for it, he lunged towards the vampire with a guttural cry but to his dismay found himself only stumbling forward as the figure vanished. 

How’d that bastard get into the tree so-- wait, where did he go now? The vampire hunter was trembling, breath struggling to pass in and out of his mouth. He feels dizzy-- the world around him becoming blurry and the sound of his heartbeat becoming all consuming. 

Was this...fear?

There was no time for Felix to identify the emotion bubbling up in his stomach unpleasantly, for the silver haired stranger’s chest was suddenly pressed to the taller man’s back, easily taking possession of the stake. An intoxicating laugh came from behind him, followed by a hot breath on his neck as the vampire spoke, tone somehow both threatening and delightful at the same time.

“Don’t let me catch you here again.”

Then the bastard is gone, and Felix’s knees are giving out for more than one reason. He’s frustrated and embarrassed, choosing to walk himself home without a word to his teammates once he’s able to stand again.

In bed later that night, he can’t fall asleep; instead stuck tossing and turning with an echo of those final words spoken to him. It sounded like a challenge, almost. There’s no way Felix could allow something so vile to have a win over him, nor could he ever face himself if he allowed such a creature to cross his path and live to tell the tale.

He had no other motives for plans to patrol the same area tomorrow night alone; the burning on his neck and the goosebumps that made a home on his skin since the silver haired vampire made physical contact with Felix meant nothing. Nothing at all.

Again, Felix was an expert in the art of lying to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> originally this was gonna just be a silly oneshot but ultimately decided i wanted to do a little something more with it...i have many mnay feelings about vampire ashe in general and this au hfkjdshjkfd
> 
> anyways i hope u enjoyed and stay tuned!
> 
> hmu on tumblr/twitter @dumbassology !!


	2. two

Being a vampire wasn’t all that bad, if you were to ask Ashe. Like most things, it had its ups and downs, but he’s been around long enough at this point to figure out how to exist with ease.

The early days weren’t a very pleasant time; plaguing Ashe with a constant heavy shadow of guilt for all that he had to do to survive. For the most part, the silver haired vampire was easily able to forgive himself for the trail of bodies he had to leave behind during those first few years. But the one thing he could never forgive was...them.

Ashe had only left them alone for a handful of minutes-- he had gotten overwhelmed with his younger twin siblings bickering that night, and in an attempt to spare of any frustration on his part, he decided to take a walk to refresh himself. The pair had promised their older brother that they would keep quiet-- keep safe. 

Maybe it was foolish of Ashe to think he could trust them-- after all, they were just kids still; all three of them-- but he did.

Maybe it was his fault that he came back only to arrive in their last moments before being stolen from his life forever-- he’s not sure if he would have preferred to be a moment earlier or later.

For a good three decades after, he was alone. There wasn’t a single part of him that wanted to keep living as this creature; to keep having to kill to survive or be on the run or go on without them by his side. But he had too-- it’s what he deserved; it was half a twisted way of repentance for their deaths and half living in their honor while attempting to do good.

It was so lonely though. Ashe wasn’t someone who was good at being isolated; he could only thrive while surrounded by others. Speaking out loud to himself while holding his own hand just wasn’t the same.

Then he gets a lucky break, bumping into a pink haired girl with crooked fangs in the dead of night. She didn’t give Ashe much of a choice, death grip on his arm as she dragged him back to the abandoned house she and her girlfriend were currently residing in. 

Hilda was her name; she was intense, strong-willed and quick to roll her eyes with a smile. Her girlfriend-- Marianne -- was the opposite. She was much more soft spoken and reserved, a gentle smile that didn’t always reach her eyes. The pink haired girl found the other vampire trying to starve herself out, hidden away in a long forgotten chapel. 

After being turned into such a creature, Marianne felt like a beast-- stolen from the Goddess and vile to the core. The craving for blood-- a human’s blood --was too much for her to stomach, thus deciding that she had to die, and she deserved to suffer through a painful death. While passing by, Hilda felt that something was off; so she carefully made her way into the building, only to see a beauty bathed in moonlight sprawled out on the steps.

“I beg of you, leave me be.” Marianne had stated weakly when Hilda gathered her into her arms. “For I am a most irredeemable being.”

“Sorry, but that is not something I can do.” Hilda simply replied, moving now to lift the blue haired vampire into her arms.

“Oh…” Marianne starts, allowing her head to rest against the other’s chest. “You must then be an angel to take me a--” She can’t finish her sentence due to Hilda flashing her a toothy grin, a bit of light glimmering on her bared fangs.

The night air is cold, causing Marianne to instinctively press more of herself into the stranger. Before she’s able to protest, to convince the other to let her fade away...Hilda speaks, tone reaching a level of tenderness she herself did not know she could reach.

“Allow me to show you the path to absolution.” Was she bullshitting? Oh absolutely-- but she was certain in her ability to figure out the details later. 

The only response she received was a desperate “Why?” 

“Because there are some things you just can’t do on your own.”

Ever since, they had been spending their days together; an alternative vampire lifestyle, as Hilda liked to call it. Not a drop of human blood ever touched Marianne’s tongue, and she still believes Hilda was her angel sent from above. 

It wasn’t hard for them to convince Ashe to stay with them from the moment Hilda had pulled him through the front door, he was already daydreaming about how wonderful it would be to wake up to a home filled. 

Every decade or so, they’d pick up all their things and take off to a new area; sometimes they would have some extra vampires making the move with them, but most times they would be bidding farewell to those they met.

The only real, permanent additions they got to their little group were two younger vampires; but not at the same time. One was a blunt boy with unruly dark curls named Cyril. Ashe had found the boy chasing down an elk in the woods one night a bit too loudly, and with no luck either. 

Convincing Cyril to come back to his current home with the girls wasn’t the easiest task. The small vampire was distrusting and stubborn to a point that Ashe had never seen, but the silver haired vampire was determined. The only reason the other agreed to come back to him is because Ashe offered supplies for him to take with and that Marianne-- though a vampire --was still very connected to faith; the mention of that put an unreadable glint in Cyril’s eye, and Ashe decided it was best not to ask about it now.

While Ashe is extremely relieved and pleased that Cyril did decide to stay with them, he hasn’t the smallest idea as to why. Their relationship started rocky; Ashe being far too overbearing as he tried to force Cyril into the role of younger brother while Cyril refused to be projected on. 

They had a bit of a nasty blowout when Ashe accidentally called Cyril by his actual younger brother’s name. The silver haired boy responded poorly to the other’s initial complaint, due to it being the anniversary of the twins’ deaths; something Ashe still had yet to unpack and begin to heal. 

The pair of vampires refused to speak to one another for nearly three full months; only sitting down to have a discussion after Hilda was nearly ripping her hair out watching her girlfriend play the middleman between them. 

Things did change-- it took a bit, seeing as Ashe had to face their deaths in a healthy way. But soon his relationship with Cyril blossomed into a tight knit one. The dark haired vampire was grateful that the other went from treating him as a sibling to a best friend.

The other vampire wasn’t one when she first came to them-- or well, when she was desperately carried into their home by a frantic Cyril one night as he cried out “She’s dying we have to save her!”

Lysithea was definitely a special case-- something that none of the four ever thought that they would have to deal with in their never ending lifetime. But here she was, begging to be turned into their kind as a final effort to expand her life. 

Cyril couldn’t do it, as he was far too shaken up by it all. Obviously, Marianne couldn’t, nor could Hilda due to their vow, no matter the reasoning behind tasting a human’s blood. 

So it had to be Ashe.

What was he going to do, turn her away?

Her blood tasted like poison to him, and he swears he saw the Goddess coming for him when she was lapping up red off Ashe’s wrist.

It took her a couple of days to rise again; she had barely been holding on upon her arrival, and the four had been anxiously waiting for any sign that they were able to help. Sure enough, they heard her stomping down the hall, wide grin on her face when she came in full view.

“What, no happy rebirth day cake?” Lysithea laughed, a shrill noise escaping her moments later as Cyril slammed into her so he could spin her in a tight hug. 

She fit in easily with the group; she was outspoken and intelligent, and while often time she spoke a bit too harshly she was always able to own up to her mistakes. It was nice, having her around. Lysithea took a lot of pressure off the rest in organizing where to move next and other things that required more process than gut reaction.

Ashe was rather fond of the current area they were residing in; they broke into an old cabin on a lake hidden away in a forest, town only 30 minutes away. For some reason, this place felt far more peaceful than the others; never before had Ashe felt so compelled to gaze out the window, but he couldn’t find myself getting tired of the scenery.

Plus, they’d managed to make some good friends here-- more humans than vampires, for the first time.

By the start of the second week of the group staying at their new home, there was an erratic string of knocks on their door, to which Lysithea swung open to be greeted by a pair of figures. 

One was a tall man with long, beautiful hair braided and a fanged smile. His arm was around a slightly smaller woman, with a faux look of annoyance on her face and lacking a set of matching fangs.

Ferdinand and Dorothea were a stunning couple who had married two years ago under the moonlight. The vampire had heard her singing with an open window, voice so hypnotizing that he just had to find the source. At first, she found him to be a creep-- but could not keep herself from thinking of him, thus each night continuing to lead him back to her window with sweet songs.

At first, they had been worried that someone would notice how Ferdinand only seemed to come outside after dusk, and how on the rare occasion he did accompany his wife to the morning market, he’d be under an elegant umbrella. But, due to Dorothea being part of the opera, his eccentricities by association were accepted. He came to nearly every performance with an extravagant bouquet in hand for the love of his life. If you were to look up the word ‘smitten’ in the dictionary, it would only be a picture of him with a beaming grin.

Ashe’s little family of vampires had also become close with Dorothea’s adopted mother, Manuela; who, when her daughter confessed that she was to be wed to a vampire, only howled with laughter before replying with a simple “Oh, darling...you think I haven’t had my fair share of trysts with such beings?”

The older women would often visit the group, gifting them all sorts of outfits and other luxuries for no real reason other than thinking their reactions were cute. Cyril once called her a Saint, and it went to Manuela’s head immediately.

There was another trio comprised of the same ratio that they knew for a short time. It was a sister, her younger vampire brother, and his boyfriend. They were fair quieter than the operatic group, but just as kind and welcoming.

Recently, they had to leave town. 

Jeritza would at times perform at the opera besides Dorothea, and after a performance one night he went to speak with Manuela about a possible show for their next season; but on this night he was acting a bit off. The older women had heard vaguely from his sister, Mercedes, about the state of his mental health, but not enough to know she shouldn’t have reached out to touch him in an attempt to make sure he was alright.

It’s not like he bit her or anything-- just shoved her away hard enough for her to scream, causing a poor staff member to walk in on the vampire partly transformed in fear. 

“Von Hyrm is a vampire and he attacked Manuela!” was a rumor that was spread quickly-- and what were they to do? Stay and allow him to go to trial, to be condemned and killed? 

Manuela wasn’t about to accept that; she tried so hard to get the authorities to drop it all but they wouldn’t. So she helped organize their escape from the town. 

Ashe would be lying if he said he didn’t miss them; while Jeritza and his expressionless lover were often hard to talk to, he had grown close to Mercedes. They were all safe, he knew this, and it was enough to fill his heart with joy.

They would send letters as often as they could, always signed from the women rather than the two men. Again, it’s just how that pair was, none of them were offended by the lack of communication on their part.

Once, however, Ashe did receive one from Jeritza’s partner, Byleth. It was a package with a poorly written note attached that only said ‘saw this at the market and thought of you. -by’. The only thing in the small box was a wooden cat that was the size of his palm. He’s kept it in his pocket since, slipping his hand in to hold onto in whenever he was feeling overwhelmed. 

Other than that fiasco a few months back, life had been rather easy for the vampires in this new home.

Until last night, when Ashe found himself fending off some overconfident vampire hunter. 

He’d heard rumors about a group between towns forming, but he didn’t think it was a serious threat until the dark haired human interrupted Cyril and himself trying to get dinner for themselves. 

The absolute audacity that hunter had-- the silver haired vampire couldn’t even fathom being filled with so much hate, so much rage, and vile intent. Ashe and his friends weren’t hurting anyone, outside of some of the forest animals, but as was the circle of life. 

Goddess above, Ashe couldn’t stop thinking about the man; he was so upset that such people still exist-- sure, he was well aware that humans did not like their kind, or were the creatures accepted into society, but he could have sworn years ago that groups of people tracking them down for sport had gone out of style.

Ashe should have taught the bastard more of a lesson-- really give him a real reason to despise his community. Who did he think he was really? To play the role of the Goddess and decide who gets to die-- who is worthy of humanity? 

To be so intense, so self-assured, so perceptive with a piercing gaze that Ashe, in different circumstances, would beg to have trained on him, bodies pressed against one another in a more pleasurable way-- what the fuck was wrong with Ashe?

Was he truly that starved for any sort of affection that he would start lusting after a man who wanted him and his friends dead?

He couldn’t deny how handsome the assailant was; dark hair with eyes to match, body lean yet toned, voice so low and smooth that it made Ashe a little bit dizzy thinking back on it. The vampire hadn’t had that kind of passion-- in any context --directed his way in decades, so it could easily be forgiven of just a fluke. Just a normal reaction to physical contact with a conventionally attractive man. It was normal to have dreams of Ashe pinning him down again, but this time swiftly pressing their lips together instead of tossing the human to the side.

Maybe it was foolish of Ashe to return to the same area of the forest alone the next night, mint eyes searching for a specific target-- but he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im so sorry for the delay of this chapter! i started this fic when tech week for the production i was working on began, and then after we closed i had a ton of work to catch up on so thank u for being patient!
> 
> also sorry for the lack of ashelix content in this chapter-- i got really excited thinking about this au so i kinda went batshit with everyone else but i hope it was still enjoyable hfjkdhgrehkfdnkjf
> 
> thank u for reading and stay tuned!!
> 
> hmu on tumblr/twitter @dumbassology !!


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